Incentive Plans & Compensation

Overview

Incentive plans and compensation structures are central to TheKey's workforce management across both U.S. and Canadian operations. The company uses a layered compensation model that includes base salaries, performance-based bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, and role-specific incentive programs. These plans vary by role, region, and employment type, and are administered jointly by HR, Finance, and divisional leadership. Getting these structures right matters operationally because they directly affect recruiting, retention, and P&L accuracy across all offices.

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Key People

• Tim Thomas — Head of Canada Division; initiates and communicates incentive plans for Canadian staff; coordinated GM bonus setup for Mavencare Toronto [Re: Q1-22 GM Bonus Proofs — 2022-05-09]
• Amabile Lopez — Senior Commission and Compensation Analyst; primary processor of commission proofs, bonus payouts, and incentive confirmations across Canadian and U.S. offices
• Chuck Terlesky — Involved in salary change communications and Canadian payroll discussions; flagged errors in salary documentation [Re: Spreadsheet shared with you: "Chuck" — 2025-08-05]
• Daniel Barakat — Finance contact for Canadian P&L; tracked salary increases and bonus accruals for Montreal and Winnipeg [Re: Canada P&L Questions from Tim — 2024-03-25]
• Christopher Rafferty — Manages incentive proof documentation and commission folder organization from 2024 onward [January 2025 Incentive Details — 2025-03-05]
• Hua Wu — Oversees bonus and commission accrual recording in NetSuite for Canadian entities [CAN entities Bonus Accrual — 2022-10-17]
• Audra Williams — HR contact involved in setting up individual incentive plans; coordinated with Tim Thomas on GM-level plans [Re: Q1-22 GM Bonus Proofs — 2022-05-09]
• Dawn Kellerman, Angie Markwell — Regional managers involved in escalating compensation concerns (e.g., Shawntel Sousa, Calgary)
• Joey Taylor — Montreal office staff member who raised formal concerns about the TheKey bonus plan reducing his compensation despite strong performance [Re: Item shared with you: "TT Joseph Taylor.pdf" — 2026-01-06]

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Processes & Policies

Salary Change Process (Workday)

• Hiring leaders submit salary change requests via email to HRservicecenter@thekey.com
• Required fields: employee name, new salary, any bonus/incentive information, reason for change, and effective date
• [Re: Assistance with Workday Salary Increase — 2023-11-02/03]

Bonus Program — Office Staff (Canada)

• Eligible office staff earn 1% of revenue above the budgeted threshold
• Paid out quarterly
• Employees on commission or profit sharing are not eligible for this program
• [Re: Office Staff Salaries - Canadian Offices — 2019-04-18 — Tim Thomas]

Commission/Incentive Proofing

• Amabile Lopez (and later Christopher Rafferty) prepares monthly or quarterly "proof" documents listing employee name, EEID, title, and bonus/commission amount
• Proofs are organized into annual folders (e.g., "2024 Commissions," "2025 Commissions") before processing
• Leaders gain visibility into payouts via Tableau once finalized [June SOM Incentives for 7/22 — 2022-07-16]
• Prorated bonuses and deductions are noted on proof documents [January 2025 Incentive Details — 2025-03-05]

Montreal Payroll Components (2025)

• Montreal payroll includes: Salary Override, SPIF Bonus, Monthly Commission, Monthly Bonus, Vacation Pay, On-Call pay, and Sick Pay
• [Re: Montreal Office Payroll — 2025-09-29]

Discretionary Bonuses

• Can be issued outside the standard cycle; example: $850 discretionary bonus approved for Leena Maraj [Discretionary Bonus for Leena — 2022-11-14]

Minimum Wage Compliance (Canada)

• All employees regardless of pay type (salary, commission, piece rate, flat rate) are eligible for provincial minimum wage protections
• [Re: Minimum Wage Hike 2023 — 2023-08-23]

Commission Floor / Supplement (Montreal)

• A minimum commission threshold exists; if a revenue target is hit but commission earned is below $2,000, a supplement bonus tops the employee up to $2,000 for that month
• [Re: Isabelle Grondin - August 2025 HCL Proof — 2025-09-10]

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Timeline & Key Events

| Date | Event |

|---|---|

| 2018-04 | Raise agreed for Ashley; noted absence of benefits, travel assistance, or incentives [Re: Quick Call — 2018-04-05] |

| 2019-04 | Canada office staff bonus policy documented: 1% above revenue threshold, quarterly, excludes commission/profit-sharing staff |

| 2022-05 | Q1-22 GM bonus proofs initiated; Taneshia (GM, Mavencare Toronto) placed on incentive plan starting Q2-22; salary figure errors flagged for Joey and Charles |

| 2022-08 | Revised July bonus proofs processed; Cathy Feniuk (Client Success Manager) received $0 bonus |

| 2022-10 | Calgary compensation issue raised for Shawntel Sousa; stay-bonus approach recommended; Canadian bonus/commission accruals reviewed by Hua Wu |

| 2022-11 | On-call staffing manager bonus established: Mina Levy, $700/month starting 2022-11-01 |

| 2023-08 | Anamarija Novak raises concern that new bonus structure significantly reduces her commission vs. prior ~$25,000/year [Note on the new agreement — 2023-08-01] |

| 2023-11 | Workday salary change process formally communicated to hiring leaders |

| 2024-03 | Montreal exec salary increases (~$9K total) and $5K exec bonus reviewed against P&L plan |

| 2024-04 | Elizabeth Manjarez flagged as top performer for 7+ months without a raise; base salary $64,458.42 |

| 2025-01 | Incentive proof documentation transitioned to 2025 Commissions folder under Christopher Rafferty |

| 2026-01 | Joey Taylor formally documents compensation decline under current TheKey bonus plan despite strong performance |

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Key Decisions

• Office staff bonus eligibility: Employees on commission or profit sharing are explicitly excluded from the quarterly revenue-threshold bonus [2019-04-18]
• GM incentive plans are set up individually and must be communicated by Tim Thomas to Amabile Lopez with formal proof documentation before processing
• Stay bonuses were considered (and apparently used) as a retention tool in Calgary, structured as reimbursable amounts [2022-10-17/18]
• Commission supplement floor of $2,000/month established for Montreal HCL roles when revenue targets are met
• Workday is the system of record for salary and incentive changes; all changes require formal email submission to HR Service Center

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Open Questions & Gaps

• Joey Taylor's compensation grievance (2026-01): His documented complaint that the TheKey bonus plan reduced his pay despite strong performance has not been resolved in the available record. No response or remediation is visible.
• Anamarija Novak's return from maternity leave (2023-08): She flagged that the new bonus structure would significantly reduce her commission relative to her prior ~$25,000/year. Resolution is unclear.
• Elizabeth Manjarez raise (2024-04): Flagged as a top performer for 7+ months with no raise at $64,458.42 base; outcome unknown.
• Tableau rollout for leader payout visibility: Referenced as pending in 2022; current status of this tool for compensation transparency is not confirmed.
• Currency conversion errors in Q1-22 GM bonus proofs for Joey and Charles: flagged but resolution not documented.

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Related Topics

• Payroll Processing & Canadian Offices
• HR Service Center & Workday Administration
• Canada P&L and Budget Management
• Caregiver Recruiting & Retention
• Performance Management & Role Levels